I am trying out some compositing techniques. I really enjoy doing it but don't really know what i'm doing!
Here are some of my recent composites. Sunset one is my first.
Second one is from 15 images.
What are your opinions on compositing?
Do any of you have any advice on how to make them look real or when to use them?
Ideas on Compositing
nothing wrong with composites just don't try and sell it as natural own up to it. i really like #2 its got good motion.
main thing is to make sure it all looks cohesive keep up the good work
Looks ok to me as far as technique is concerned. When doing composites it's important to be aware of where the light comes from. and what else needs to be adjusted in the scene as you add stuff. For example, if you have a reflecting surface it needs to reflect the added element, too and if you add a moon the light it emits needs to be added to the scene. If you fail to do that, the viewer will notice, if only subconsciously.
Yeah. I have been trying to do that. Thanks for the advice!
Sorry to be a bit of a nay-sayer here, Nathan, but I have a question: why? There are myriad photographic tools including filter use, added lighting, all post-processing, and compositing which can serve useful purposes but are not to my mind an end in themselves. If you're simply honing your compositing skills, I'm impressed.
I've never done any compositing in a realistic-looking photo, because I haven't seen a reason to, so I'm curious to know why you seek advice on WHEN to composite. I'd think the answer is: when it achieves a purpose for you, for instance to create an impossible scene in a purely creative way.
I may have misinterpreted your blurb, and I don't mean to "shoot you down"; I'd be genuinely interested in your response.
On fstoppers they talk allot about light compositing. In the top photo for example the sky was one exposure, the long exposure of the water was another, the person standing etc.. Basically making an image look a way that it couldn't otherwise. On the next image, the water would NEVER look that way! It has to be composited to look so full of movement. Also a lot of what I am doing is optimizing an image for each part of the image. For example the rocks in the bottom image were brighter and had more contrast etc. I just blend them all together to make the full image look great.
Thanks for the explanation, Nathan. That makes sense. I was just wondering. And you've done a great job. Obviously you had an idea in mind, and executed it well, so there's no obvious "fakeyness" about it. Thanks for your thoughtful reply again.
My feeling is that compositing is fine when it adds strength to a composition, appears natural (see Thorsten's comments) and is truthfully disclosed.
For me there are too many images out there where this is obvious, or at least poses staged which detracts from the image, your last two seem perfectly natural to me.
I dig the first shot, only thing thats bothering me are the artificially lit tents on the left, kills the mood a bit.
Yeah, my friend that I showed it to said the same.